The weekend is almost here. Before you step outside to take in the cherry blossoms or head to bed for some much-needed sleep, let’s revisit the past week of news in Fairfax County.
Here are the 10 most-read stories on FFXnow this week:
Countywide
|
Fairfax County Park Authority officials and others are calling for changes in funding to ensure people are able to access recreational amenities and address repairs.
Staff and community groups like the Fairfax County NAACP say the upcoming budget being considered by the county Board of Supervisors is inadequate for addressing the park system’s needs. It could even take longer to take care of those needs with a proposal to lengthen the amount of time between bond votes.
Fairfax County Public Schools is moving forward with plans to convert the Dunn Loring Administration Center into an elementary school, despite questions from some school board and community members about the project’s urgency.
The Fairfax County School Board voted 10-0 with two abstentions on March 10 to let staff re-negotiate an existing architecture and engineering contract with the firm Samaha Associates, initiating a planning process that typically takes about two years, according to FCPS Executive Director for Facilities and Transportation Services Jessica Gillis.
(Updated at 9:50 a.m.) Fast food lovers can get their foodie fix for subs and pizza at a new shopping plaza in Great Falls.
Republic Land Development, a DC-based property management company, plans to begin construction on the second phase of Seneca Corner (1024 Seneca Road), a shopping center located at the corner of Leesburg Pike and Georgetown Pike.
A new “taco temple” is coming to Fairfax County this spring.
Banditos Bar & Kitchen — a concept inspired by Mexican street food — is preparing to open by the end of April at 10621 Braddock Road in Fairfax, according got a company representative.
Stuff the Bus Drive Returns Tomorrow — “Since inception, Stuff the Bus has collected over 220 tons of food to feed people experiencing food insecurity in Fairfax County. Donate to Stuff the Bus at any of these locations on Saturday, March 19, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.” [Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Services]
Reston Cooking Class Raises Funds for Ukraine — A borscht-making class raised nearly $179,000 to become one of the top fundraisers in World Central Kitchen “Cook for Ukraine” campaign, Reston Patch reported. Radhika Murari, the founder of Reston-based OmMade peanut butter, came up with the idea by helping two Ukrainian sisters promote their class. [Fairfax County EDA]
Fairfax County planning officials are honing in on a proposal to allow new residential projects to move forward as part of its airport noise policy.
Changes to the airport noise policy would allow housing in roughly 2,300 acres of the Sully District — largely around Chantilly — to be exposed to higher levels of airplane noise than currently allowed.
With property tax assessments skyrocketing, Virginia lawmakers passed a bill this year to change how data centers are valued, which could influence how quickly a local tax district can repay debt for projects that widened Route 28.
The Route 28 Highway Transportation Improvement District’s Fairfax County portion consists of over 1,000 parcels south of the Dulles Toll Road. New assessments for commercial and industrial properties in that area are relatively in line with increases seen in previous years.
The Mount Vernon RECenter could shutter for two years as part of a multi-phase expansion and renovation worth tens of millions of dollars.
The Fairfax County Park Authority is expected to vote Wednesday (March 23) on a staff proposal that recommended the temporary closing. If approved, the facility would close starting in early 2023, the authority told FFXnow.
Fairfax County Public Schools will officially end the use of seclusion as a tool for managing student behavior when the next school year begins on Aug. 22.
The practice of confining a student to a room is already prohibited in most schools, but the Fairfax County School Board approved an update on March 10 that expands the ban to include the Key Center School, Kilmer Center, and private day and residential schools, starting with the 2022-2023 school year.